


Little Miss Perfect

by gladixlusamicitia



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Female Reader, Friends to Lovers, Lucis Caelum Reader, Princess reader, Rating May Change, Reader-Insert, Secret Relationship, Sibling Love, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-09-27 18:23:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10038170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gladixlusamicitia/pseuds/gladixlusamicitia
Summary: "Come on then, Little Miss Perfect."You were perfect. You had no choice. Nyx broke that down, made you something unpolished and reckless. You needed it more than anything you wanted before, that need to be imperfect.





	1. Perfection

**Author's Note:**

> Whoops I fell in love with Nyx after watching Kingsglaive... So, have a little project!
> 
> come talk to me about the 15 boyband - oceansgrxywaves.tumblr.com

“Come on, Miss Perfect, we’re gonna be late.”

Little Miss Perfect had been the name given to you from a young age by your ever so slightly older brother Noctis after he was injured in an accident. From a young age, you were expected to be the perfect princess that the people of Insomnia could look up to; you had a line to carry on, much like your twin brother… Even if the crystal hadn’t chosen you nor were you to inherit the throne unless something happened to Noctis.

“Coming Noct…” You sighed, making sure that your hair was primped and ready to head out to school. You had an image to keep, to be approachable to the people of Insomnia, to be a good person, to be the perfect heir. Your mobile phone buzzed from the inside of your blazer pocket, taking it out when you sat in the car that would transport you and your brother to school.

_Can’t wait to see you later, I’m officially back x_

“What’s got you all happy?” Noctis questioned when he saw the smile grow on your lips; you shook your head before quickly typing back a response to the text message on the screen.

“Nothing, just a dumb video from Stella.” You replied, Noctis just shook his head, leaning back in the seat of the car, you just continued to smile at the phone in your hands, especially when a photo came attached to the mystery persons next text message – a shining silver eye mask on a desk, your heros signature, something you desperately wanted to wear when you were around him, there was a tiny tinge of blood on the mask but you had every confidence that the blood didn’t belong to your hero.

_It’s been too long, Hero x_

_That it has, Princess x_

You weren’t Little Miss Perfect. Not as long as you kept your relationship under wraps from both your father and brother… This was one little secret that they didn’t need to know about.

You’d always been the social butterfly of the Lucis Caelum twins; Noctis had become quieter after the accident, but remained always by your side – there was barely a time when you weren’t with each other, during his training with Gladio however, you were forced to sit aside and just study while he got to train with various weapons. You found it much easier to begin relationships with people than Noctis did, you were an asset to your father at times with your easy going personality, the Lucian council often saw your presence in meetings as you studied to eventually become the main diplomat for your brother when he took the throne… Even if you’d desired to become a fighter just like Noctis in order to protect not only yourself but him in the future as well – it wasn’t ‘right’ for the Princess to learn to fight, not with your future already planned out in kingdom politics.

You had met the infamous Nyx Ulric when you were thirteen, celebrating your fathers birthday at a ball that had been hosted for him, Nyx had been stationed with the Kingsglaive as a member of security for the evening, he’d been young and inexperienced, but still smiled at you when you said hello to him for the very first time. Of course, your much younger self still didn’t understand why he wasn’t meant to talk to you, especially with that pretty silver eye mask on his face.

“My dear, he is a member of the Kingsglaive, one of those in training to be my guard.” Regis had answered your question when you sat down with him, you couldn’t help but be even more enamoured with the Glaive member at that. “In a sense, he’s training to be a hero.”

“Can I ask him to dance with me?” A laugh left your fathers lips as you got up from your chair and headed over to Nyx, looking up at him with a smile and held out your hand to him, he seemed confused under the mask, until you told him your demand.

“Dance with me!”

“Uh…” He glanced over to your father, who nodded, before taking your hand in his and danced with you as best he could with the height difference. Mainly spinning you around the floor, even bowed to you after the dance was over. “Your highness, thank you for the dance.”

“Thank you too, hero!”

He told you your name before rushing back to his post, Nyx Ulric was one name that you weren’t going to be able to forget and for good reason.

As you grew up, you kept running into Nyx when the Glaive was summoned to the palace, normally after school when you sat in the corridors waiting for your father to finish with a council meeting when you weren’t allowed into them, which meant it was something to do with the war and the crystal. More often than not, you got to talk with Nyx about being a part of the Kingsglaive – while he strived to avoid talking to you at first, something to do with his boss yelling at him for communicating with someone above his station – he couldn’t help but answer when you always grinned, eager to hear more about the missions and quests that he’d been on.

Not to mention the sparkle in your eyes when he told you about being able to warp strike, something that was incredibly difficult to perform.

You were fifteen when you finally cornered him one day in the palace.

“Teach me how to warp strike!” You demanded to him, Gladiolus and Noctis just leaving their training session for the day. The sudden shout from your normally rather quiet voice made him jump ever so slightly, a very awkward but surprisingly happy grin on Nyx’s lips. “Please, I don’t want to be a burden to my brother… I just want to learn to defend myself.”

“Uh… Y-you’d have to ask your dad about that, your highness.”

“If he says yes, will you teach me?”

Nyx just stared at you for a moment; you were deadly serious about learning how to fight as well in the long run. You didn’t want to just be the peoples Princess, you wanted to be able to hold your own, and to be feared just like your brother and father were.

“I don’t see why not?”

Having a member of the royal Kingsglaive teach you how to fight was something you’d dreamed of ever since you caught one of their training sessions, maybe even since the day you met Nyx when you were thirteen and your father told you he was a member of the Kingsglaive, it didn’t matter, you wanted to learn from the best.

You needed to be perfect in every way possible for your family, and that meant learning how not to be a burden.


	2. Burden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You begin training with Nyx... But your fears come to head a lot quicker than you thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got some lovely comments on the last chapter <3 I'm so glad people are reading this, it means so much to me!
> 
> Feel free to come say hi on tumblr! oceansgrxywaves.tumblr.com

Warp striking and magic had always been part of the royal family bloodline, it was a gift from the crystal, and those of the Glaive were able to use it due to the power of the King. It was only natural that you were able to use those abilities, your bloodline allowed you the gift but you still had to learn to use them just like Noctis was doing.

However, it seemed that Nyx wasn’t going to teach you the difficult stuff straight away.

“Surely you’re not going to make me learn the basics?” You gawped at Nyx as he handed you a simple dagger, you stared for a moment before taking the weapon at his insistence.

“Indeed I am Princess.” He gave you a cheeky grin, folding his arms across his chest. “I’ve heard your brother and the people call you ‘perfect’ but I’ve yet to see that with my own eyes.”

“My father is paying you, isn’t he?”

“He’s paying me.”

You stared deadpan; of course he was being paid, why else would he teach you? You doubted he’d do it out of the goodness of his own heart after you asked… Money was always going to be something that people needed, you supposed. Still… There was that bit of frustration within you- you didn’t need to learn the basics; you should have already known them.

“I don’t need to learn the basics, I already know them.” You spoke with a hint of arrogance, holding the dagger in your hand. “I’m sure I can prove you that I don’t need the basics lecture.”

A light chuckle left his lips.

“Come on then, Little Miss Perfect.” Nyx moved himself into a battle stance, drawing his daggers to face you with. While you only had one, you were sure that you could deal with whatever Nyx was going to throw at you.

You should have realized that Nyx was going to have much more experience than you, this was a man who had gone on missions for your father, become a protector of Insomnia, you were a fool for underestimating him, even more so as the dagger in your hand clashed with his own.  
Magic was something that did not come as naturally to you as it did Noctis or your father, but you could still use a very small amount, a short burst of clear crystal came from your hand forming a very rough shield around you.

A yelp left your lips as Nyx crashed his elbow into your stomach breaking through the very sensitive and fragile shield that you had created, knocking you to the ground, the dagger falling from your hand and clattering to the floor. A whine left your lips as you tried to force yourself up, glaring up at Nyx from behind your hair that was covering your eyes.

“Looks like you’re not so perfect after all, Princess.” He smirked down at you, twirling one of the daggers in his hand, sheathing the blade and held his gloved hand out to you. “Don’t be bitter about it.”

“Don’t tell me to not be bitter about my failure.” You snapped back, pushing yourself up, slapping his hand away from you. “My failure only confirms that I am useless, that I only continue to be a burden to my family.”

“You really believe you’re a burden?”

“I will wind up watching my family die before my eyes while I am nothing more than a prize for the Imperials if they ever invade Insomnia. I will not see my father and my brother die while I am kept as a trophy wife or prisoner.” You breathed in sharply, shaking your head. Nyx just stared at you, listening to you reveal your hidden fears to him. “I’m not going to be that burden, Nyx. Not to my father, not to my brother. They deserve better than what I can give them now.”

There was an awkward silence between you and the member of the Glaive. He stared at you, shaking his head as he finally spoke, leaving the room and leaving you on the spot.

“We’re done for today.”

As you watched Nyx leave, you glanced down at the dagger you had left abandoned on the floor. A heavy sigh left your lips, making you shake your head with the thought that that was probably the end of your training.

School was a nightmare the next day; your whole body ached the next day and having physical education where you had to run track just completely destroyed any desire to want to train again with Nyx… Not that you had much desire after yesterday. The call of your name made you force yourself up from your desk, where you had promptly slumped over after the last lesson.

“You look pretty rough, did you not sleep last night?” Prompto questioned you, dropping into the desk next you. You just stared at him as he laughed, a bright grin on his lips. “Up all night working on homework?”

“I wish that was the case.” You whined out, Noctis finally joining you both.

“I heard one of the Kingsglaive is training you.” He spoke up, Prompto’s eyes widened in shock.

“Doubt he’ll be training me anymore.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Made an ass of myself, Noct’.” You explained, glaring up at your brother. A snort left his lips, shaking his head. “That funny to you?”

“Do you know how many times I’ve made an ass of myself in front of Gladio? It’s part of learning, you deal with it.” He patted you on the shoulder, shrugging it off. “Now come on, Prompto and I are going for pizza, you in?”

“Can’t turn down that offer can I?”

“Woohoo! Food time!”

Several slices of pizza later, you and Noctis returned to the palace with boxes of leftover pizza in your hands.

“I’m sure Gladio’s gonna chew my ear off for eating something so greasy before training.”

“Hey at least you have training.”

“Might want to rethink that point.” Your brother commented, taking the box from you to take it to the kitchen. Nyx was stood waiting for you by the training hall; you swallowed sharply and made your way over to him, forcing a smile.

“Mr. Ulric.”

“Nyx is fine, Princess.” He tilted his head at you, folding his arms across his chest. “Are you feeling better today?”

“I think so, I just… Don’t know if this is a good idea.”

“You really want to be perfect?”

“I have to be.” You insisted. “It’s… It’s part of my bloodline.”

“Then how about this, Princess?” You raised an eyebrow at his comment. “You best me in a simple duel and I’ll teach you warp striking, just so you know you’re actually ready.”

Three months after you had begun training with Nyx was when it finally happened, the day that you finally managed to knock the blades from Nyx's hands. Training on and off when you had time, learning and watching his patterns whenever you trained with him, the silver of the daggers blade glittered against his neck, the both of you panting sharply.

"Well done, Princess. Seems like you're ready to learn to warp strike."

That charming smile that grew on his lips beamed with pride but made butterflies flutter in your stomach, you couldn’t explain it, was this what other girls in school felt like when they were around Noctis…?

You left the lesson more confused and worried at what the feeling was that you were experiencing… And if it was just a one time thing.


	3. Friendship and Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make a new friend and forge a promise with Nyx.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually really liked writing this chapter, not as much Nyx but we'll get to that soon~
> 
> Come chat with me on tumblr - oceansgrxywaves.tumblr.com

“Y’know how it rains?”

“Yeah?”

“Is it actual rain or is it artificial? Y’know because of the crystal wall?”

You had to place the sandwich you were eating for lunch down on your desk, staring at Prompto in utter confusion, he was absentmindedly pushing around the container of carrots on his desk when he finally looked at you.

“What’s that look for?”

“Prompto, I… I’ve never once thought about that... I mean I assume that it’s real rain that just passes through the wall?” You stared down at the sandwich, why did Prompto always ask you the strange questions. It was like you were the only one that could answer them… Or at least give them some kind of answer. “Why do you always ask me these?”

“’Cause Noct’ never answers!”

You had to stop yourself from laughing, you could just imagine the look on your brothers face when Prompto asked him a ridiculous question – he’d just stare at his best friend without a doubt. Finishing the sandwich, you put your container back in your back and got up from your seat.

“I need to drop some books off at the library, make sure you do the assignment, it’s due in next lesson.” You poked Prompto on the shoulder, sticking your tongue out at him while he gave you that signature pout of his. “And no, I’m not writing this one for you! Just because last time you forgot about it while you were at the arcade with Noct’!”

“I made you lunches for a week as an apology!” He interjected, watching as you exited the classroom. “Bet they were nothing on the Citadel’s food!”

“You’d be surprised, Prompto~”

The look of pure delight on his face at the comment about his homemade lunches for you couldn’t help but make you giggle, waving to him as you disappeared down the hall towards the library. In a sense, it was a lonely life; you weren’t as social as you’d liked to be with the rest of the people in your school, people found you to be socially out of their league – much like your brother, so it was a complete wonder that you’d managed to become friends with Prompto.

You did long for more friends, some that you could invite to the arcade or just go out around Insomnia with, explore the streets and try the different foods that were on offer. To say you were the Princess, you rarely got to explore the crown city without an escort by your side, and it was normally on scheduled visits.  
So it wasn’t a surprise that the library in the citadel had become your bastion and safe place, you spent hours with Noctis reading books with him, fantasy and romance, sci-fi and so many others. Finding books for assignments in your school library had also become one your pastimes, reading was always enjoyable and sometimes you could find books that weren’t available to read in the private library at home.

“Lady Caelum, returning some books?” The librarian always gave a gentle smile to you when you visited, despite how many times you had insisted on the older lady calling you by your first name, she still called you ‘Lady Caelum’.

“I am, thank you.” You nodded, letting her take the books back and began to wander around for new books that had potentially come in during the time that you had been working on other assignments… And training with Nyx, something that you eagerly awaited every single day. You couldn’t stop the butterflies in your stomach at the thought of seeing him smile with pride at you again, that touch on your shoulder when you messed up with reassurance that you just needed to keep practising, that you’d get there in the end.

“Wow… It’s not everyday we get to see the Princess mingle with us common rabble.”

The strangers voice knocked you from your thoughts; three senior students were stood in front of you, grinning rather wickedly. You still smiled up at them, awkwardly shaking your head. The uniforms that they were wearing were ever so slightly different to yours, the girl didn’t bother with the red ribbon and had a much shorter skirt than she was probably meant to wear while the two guys were tall and wore their shirts untucked with a distinct lack of ties.

“Just because I’m a Princess doesn’t mean I’m any different to you.” You insisted to them, the girl just giggled shaking her head.

“You’re so cute!” She replied to you, leaning against the bookcase, folding her arms over her chest. “I’m Trixie, nice to meet you~”

Trixie was one of those pretty leggy blondes that you’d read about in the magazines, she looked like she’d stepped off the page with her immaculate make up and rosy lips. The boys were identical twins, something you’d only just noticed, messy brown hair, freckles dotted across their cheeks, they were… Rather cute, you couldn’t help but blush when they made eye contact with you.

“I’m Rip and this is Jack.” One of the boys added on, the ever so slightly taller twin was Rip, and slung his arm around Jack’s shoulder.

“You should come out with us sometime.” Trixie insisted to you, shrugging her shoulders. “We’ve heard you don’t have many friends, so this is an offer, we’ll show you around Insomnia or something since we’ve got plenty of time before our finals…”

“Most people don’t approach you, they’re scared of you, aren’t they?” Jack commented, you lowered your head and simply nodded. Jack was right; people were scared of you because of your title. “Like your brother, he’s hot though.”

Rip elbowed Jack in the stomach, laughing as you pulled a face, people commenting on your brothers appearance often made you cringe, it was so weird hearing how people thought he was attractive and wanted to date him. Trixie smirked, shaking her head as she scribbled down a number on a scrap of paper.

“Here, text me when you’re free so we can arrange something. Lunch, whatever you want.” You took the paper as she spoke, you couldn’t help but blink as the trio began to leave.

“Um, why are you being so nice to me?” You questioned, holding the paper in your hand.

“Because you look like you could use a friend, see you around Princess~”

You glanced down at the phone number then tilted your head as they headed off, leaving you to your thoughts. It was strange but… It felt good, knowing that someone wanted to actually be friends with you; maybe you’d take Trixie up on the offer of heading around Insomnia together sometime.

When you finally had training that evening, Nyx was pushing you to your limits, the two of you sweaty and panting from the amount of practise. Not only had he shown you warp striking, he had shown you some new techniques with daggers, quick striking and dodging with them in hand.

“You’ve done well, Princess.” Nyx collapsed on the floor, chest heaving as he picked up a bottle of water, taking a sip from it. “Nearly had me on the ropes there.” You collapsed next to him, lying back on the floor in a pair of sweat pants and a vest, daggers left strewn on the floor next to the both of you.

“I’m getting there…” You whined, ever so slightly rolling on the floor in a very unladylike manner. Nyx laughed at the sight of you, hair sticking to your face. “I think I made a friend today, Nyx.”

“Oh?”

“Her name is Trixie, she wants to take me around Insomnia when I’m next free.” You stayed from your place on the floor, Nyx choosing to do the same and lie next to you. “I’m really excited, maybe one day I’ll get to see the rest of the world.”

“Anywhere you want to see most of all?”

“I want to go to Altissa, it’s incredibly romantic apparently.” Your head turned to look at Nyx, a look of curiosity on your face. “Is there anywhere you want to go?”

“I… Want to go back to Galahd.” He looked at you, a distant look in his eyes. “Maybe one day I’ll show you my home, when it’s taken back from the Imperials.”  
“Just the two of us?”

It fell silent between the two of you, a blush ever so faintly growing on your cheek as he let out a hearty laugh, nodding his head to you, his hand resting on your shoulder.

“If that’s what Miss Perfect wants.” He mocked you with your name, laughing at the sight of your pout. “Come on, Princess. Break time is over.”

“Really, Nyx? Already?”

“You’re never going to warp strike if you stay on the ground dreaming.”

“Fine.” You rolled your eyes as the two of you got up, collecting your weapons once again. You paused ever so briefly then made another comment. “Hey, Nyx? Will… Will you tell me about Galahd one day?”

“One day, Princess. One day.”


	4. Birthday Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your sixteenth birthday rolls around and of course, you have to attend a party with your brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter~ Can anyone spot the tiny reference I made to Lightning Returns?
> 
> Come say hi on my tumblr and talk about ff15 ~ oceansgrxywaves.tumblr.com

Your sixteenth birthday rolled around a lot quicker than you expected, what with exams to study for, training for your eventual counsel position and the combat training with Nyx. Trixie had been messaging you throughout the time, demanding to know answers to questions about where you lived, if you could come and hang out with her – amongst other things like what clothing access you had, if you were able to get some designer clothing for her.

Though Trixie also had her uses for you, she sent you photos of different areas of Insomnia that you asked her to find for you, got her to share pictures of street food that she thought that you might like. Not to mention the fact she insisted on getting you something for your birthday from not only her but from Rip and Jack as well, truth be told, you were a little jealous of how close the trio were – you hadn’t had many friends to the point you could say you were closer than siblings, sure you’d always had Noctis but… You had to admit that it was lonely.

Trixie’s messages gave you a little bit of freedom, to the point that you’d invited her to the birthday party that was being thrown for your and Noctis, it was your coming of age party, one of which would be an important life event, and one of the few times you would get to see your father.

“Highness, are you ready?” Came the knock on your bedroom door, Ignis would be the one to check on you, he’d been an advisor for your family for as long as you could remember and mainly looked after Noctis.

“Just a moment, Ignis!” You called back, taking one last twirl in the mirror before he would come in and do your hair for you. The dress was a ball gown, in the signature Lucis Caelum colour – black, with a hidden hint of skulls dashed across the bodice. Your tiara sat in the open box on your dressing table; the tiara was actually designed to be two hairpins, crafted like a small tree branch much like your fathers crown. Your birthday present from Noctis sat on the dressing table as well - a figure of a green carbuncle, much like the one that your father had given to Noctis when he was in his coma years ago.

_Sis, carbuncle has always been a guardian to me, may his sibling be a guardian to you. Happy birthday, Noctis x_

Your fingertips gently touched the mirror in front of you, looking at the way the dress flowed around your body, you were growing up, one more year without your mother, one more year until the Imperials might make their move, one more year of your father having to protect the people, one more year of your brother being groomed to become the next king… And one more year of you not being able to make your own choices.

Another knock on the door brought you from your inner battles, calling through to allow Ignis to add the final finishing touches to your look – despite it being the birthday party for your brother and you, members of certain families would be attending, meaning that you still had to completely represent the crown. As always, Ignis politely bowed to you when he entered your room, just like he’d been brought up to do by his uncle.

“May I say that you look lovely, highness?”

“Thank you, Ignis.” You smiled softly, sitting down by your make up table and let Ignis begin doing your hair for you. He twisted and pulled your hair into a pretty bun, bangs hanging down to frame your face and carefully picked up the tiara before slipping it into your hair.

“I will be driving you and Noct’ to the party this evening.” He spoke, adding the final touches to your hair. “Your brother is waiting for you downstairs.”

The two of you left the room, allowing you to go ahead and meet your brother who was dressed up in a sharp, tailored suit – black with pinstripes and hidden skull motifs on the tie, waiting for you downstairs.

“Happy birthday, Noct’.” You smiled, hugging your brother tightly. “Did you like the present I got you?”

“A photo of Luna and I from when we were younger, yeah, it was nice.” He awkwardly hugged you back, forcing a smile on his lips. His feelings for Lunafreya were awkward, confusing to him, but if it made your brother smile then it was worth it.

“You’ll see her one day, I know you will.”

"You're rather sure on that."

"Yeah, because why would she send Umbra secretly between the two of you with a book full of messages~"

Noct's eyes widened in shock, a faint blush crossing his cheeks as you burst out laughing, covering your mouth with your hand.

"H-how did you know about that?"

"I'm not silly, Noct', besides... How do you think I got the photograph? I caught Umbra leaving the Citadel gardens once and sent a message to Lunafreya."  
"I... I can't believe you!" He shook his head in disbelief, you retorted by sticking your tongue out at him. "Anyone would think you're the devious older sibling."

"And here I am, forever cursed to be the younger sibling... Because you were born three minutes earlier!"

"Suffer." Noctis stuck his tongue out at you that time, Ignis clearing his throat to bring both of your attentions back to the party that you were meant to be going to.  
You linked your arms together, grinning at one another as Noctis spoke, the two of you heading out together. "Happy birthday sis'."

The party was being held on the top of the roof of the Caelum Via Insomnia hotel, one of the many places that was easily available to your family. You kept around your brother until finally you noticed Trixie, Jack and Rip – having invited them with permission.

“Wow, this is how the other half lives huh?” Trixie commented, dressed in a tight fitting black dress with Jack and Rip fully suited next to her. She already had a glass of wine in her hand- was she even legally old enough to drink? You weren’t sure, but she was smiling at you.

“It’s… It’s nothing really…” You insisted, trying to downplay the attention, it was awkward enough having other high ranking families at the party, both you and Noctis had wanted something small and intimate but unfortunately, being the crown children of the king of Lucis meant you had little choice on who was invited to the party. The moment you arrived, the paparazzi were taking photos of the two of you, such as your life was whenever there was a big event that you had to attend - certain people were obsessed with your family, and they'd pay anything to get a good photo.

You fluffed your dress as Trixie began to walk around with you, Jack and Rip, you gave pleasant greetings to each member of the families that spoke to you until your eyes caught who was on security duty for the evening. Nyx, it must have been a slow evening for him to be drafted to work security at a birthday party, not to mention there were other members of the Kingsglaive working as well.

You couldn’t help but slightly wave over at him when he noticed you; he just gave you that charming smile of his and nodded his head, returning straight to his duty.  
“Some party this is turning out to be.” Trixie finally piped up when your small group settled near the giant tank containing a variety of sea creatures. Your dress skirt fluffed out on the floor, a glass of juice in your hand. “It’s so… Formal, I mean, violins and pianos? Is this really a party for a young adult? Not complaining about the paparazzi though... I hope my picture ends up in the papers or online."

“This… This is how it’s always been… It’s a tradition…”

“It’s a dull tradition.” A whine left her lips, focusing her attention on you and the tiara in your hair. “Oh wow, is that the royal tiara? How pretty is that, Rip?”

“Super pretty.” He smirked, leaning closer to you. “Shame it’s not on Trixie, it’d look so much prettier on her.”

“Oh stop it!” She slapped him on the arm, the trio laughing loudly and obnoxiously, to the point that other people were beginning to look over at you all. An embarrassed flush on red rushed onto your cheeks, the tiara would look better on Trixie?

“Um… Excuse me.” You had to get away briefly; the comment felt strange, made you feel awful about the fact the tiara was now sat in your hair when they clearly thought it should have been in Trixie’s hair. “I-I need to speak to my brother…”

“Lighten up, Princess, it’s just a joke!” Jack called back to you as you made your way from them to your brother, a frown on your lips. Noctis raised an eyebrow as you approached him, lowering your head in shame.

“Are you alright?”

“Fine… Just… Confused…” You shook your head; Noctis gently rubbed your arm before leading you over to the Amicitias – Iris grinned brightly at the sight of you both, she’d become close to Noctis when they were younger after he chased after her and helped her find her way back to the Citadel, he’d been grounded because of it but it had helped him become closer to Gladio.

“Happy birthday!” Iris hugged you both tightly, giggling happily in her pretty dress. Gladio nodded and tapped Noctis on the shoulder, motioning behind the two of you.

“C’mon, Iris, we’ll speak with them later.” He insisted, dragging his sister away as Regis made his way over to you both, two assistants behind him carrying wrapped boxes.

“Dad!” It had felt like weeks since you’d last properly seen your father, council meetings had taken over, people needing help from locations that had been invaded by the Imperials. You couldn't stop yourself from rushing over, hugging your father tightly. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"What kind of father would I be if I missed my children's birthday?" Regis wobbled ever so slightly when you launched yourself at him, but still wrapped an arm around you.

The two assistants that had accompanied your father finally stepped forward, handing one of the two presents to Noctis. Your brother made work of the wrapping paper, revealing a large steel briefcase, placing it on the floor, he opened it to reveal a gorgeous looking sword.

"It's called the Engine Blade." Regis explained, Noctis staring in awe at the weapon in his hand.

"T-thank you."

There was a tiny twinge of jealousy that ran through you when Noctis held out the engine blade in front of him. Though it quickly died when you reminded yourself that Noctis had been training with weapons for years in comparison to you with only a few months experience under your belt.

"Sweetheart, I don't want you to feel left out." Your father answered instantly, almost as if he knew what you had just been thinking. "When you have learnt more, I will have a weapon crafted for you as well."

"Can it be a set of daggers?" You queried, an innocent smile on your lips. Your father gave a hearty laugh, nodding his head and placed a hand on your shoulder.  
"My dear, it will be whatever you want it to be. If daggers are what you desire, it shall be them."

There was something off about the sweet moment, you could feel your fathers hand trembling on your shoulder. He was getting weaker, the wall that he was keeping... The magic was slowly making him weaker.

"Now, I'm aware that your present isn't as grand as the one I gave your brother... But it will aid you in your duty." He spoke softly as you unwrapped your present once it was handed to you and he moved his hand from your shoulder, hidden within the wrapping paper was a beautiful bound book with golden lettering on the front.  
"Mom's in this..." You whispered as you flicked through the pages and stopped when you came across the photograph of your mother.

"You have grown to be so much like her, I wanted to make sure that you had something of hers, so you would never question your heritage." Regis explained, watching in delight as you held the book closely to you. "Your mother would study that book for hours, learning about Lucian history. Should you become a member of the council, it will serve you well."

"Thank you, I love it."

"I'm afraid I will have to leave you both for now, Clarus wishes to speak with me." Regis gave a slight smile, as it always was, he was whisked away before you really got chance to speak with your father. "I shall be back for the fireworks later."

With that, he made his exit leaving you with a slight frown on your lips. Noctis nudging you before making his way back to Gladio and Iris. "Think your friends want to speak with you."

"Yeah, I'll see you soon." You gave a bright smile as Trixie came back over with Rip and Jack, the trio looking at your present.

“Wow, seriously? The King gets you a book and your brother gets a sword? Yeah, because that isn’t favouritism.” Rip snorted, looking at the book in your hands, which was handed over to an assistant when they came over to take it, just to be safe that it wasn't ruined during the evening. “Then again, everyone knows that he’s going to favour your brother since he’s the next in line.”

“Shame that you work so hard for your family and you’re not even going to be Queen of Lucis, what’s the point in you even wearing the tiara?” Trixie finally uttered, folding her arms over her chest.

You froze, hands trembling ever so slightly after the words settled in. “Why are you saying that? I… I wear it b-because it’s mine… It’s… My family…”

“Yeah, might be yours, that throne isn’t ever going to be. What’s the point in trying so hard? What, you just going to play the perfect back up plan for the rest of your life?”

“S-stop it! I’m not a back up plan!”

"Easy, easy, we're not trying to upset you." Jack insisted, gently rubbing your bare shoulder. "We're just looking at it differently to you."

"What?"

"Think about it, your life is basically being controlled, you're not going to get anything being the younger sibling." Trixie shrugged her shoulders, fixing her hair nonchalantly. "Everyone knows that your brother is going to one day take the throne, why waste your life away on being the runner up?"

"Because it's my duty... I'm meant to support Noct' when he becomes the King..."

"It just seems so disappointing that you're being put through all this training to what? Become a chancellor or something?" The blonde kept speaking, not understanding that her words hurt you. Having your duty questioned, what you had always had from the very beginning was the future to help your brother. "We just think you could do better, you could be Queen."

Just as you opened your mouth to argue back with Trixie, a voice cut through.

"Sorry to intrude your highness, but someone wishes to speak with you by the fountain." Nyx's voice was a blessing at that point, a polite smile on his lips as he looked at you then the group you were with.

"Thank you, would you escort me to them?" You nodded to Trixie, Nyx escorting you away from the trio down to the fountain on the lower roof area.

Almost instantly, you let out a breath that you hadn't realised you had been holding in.

"Sorry for intruding, you looked like you could use a break from them."

"No, I think... I think you did the right thing." Another shaky breath left your lips, sitting down on the edge of the elegant fountain, looking up at Nyx, your dress pooling around you. "Thank you, Nyx..."

"As far as the Captain is concerned, I'm still on duty, I shouldn't be socialising with someone out of my social standing."

"Well, if the Captain asks then I will tell him how you are guarding me and that the safest place for me is by your side." You had to giggle, covering your lips with your hand ever so slightly. "Which isn't quite a lie."

It settled into a comfortable silence between the two of you, there was something about Nyx that you couldn't put your finger on, he made you feel calm yet still excited you to the very core.

"You must be glad though." His voice made you look upwards, tilting your head ever so slightly. "Seeing your dad."

"Yes, it's good to see him..." Your head lowered, Regis had been trembling ever so slightly on his hand. It was faint but you had felt it when you had hugged him. He was getting weaker. The cost of using his own magic to power the wall had to be the reasoning behind it... Why else would it have still been up? The Imperials were still a threat to Insomnia, and your father had to be the one to use his own powers to halt it. "He was trembling."

"Trembling? You must have been seeing things."

"I'm not stupid, Nyx." You retorted, shaking your head. "I know my father is getting weaker because of the wall and the war with the Imperials. I barely see him and when I do, he looks weaker than he did before."

"Princess..."

"I know what this must sound like to you, I sound selfish, I just don't want to lose my dad... Mother has been gone for so long, I can't even remember what she sounds like. I just... I can't go through that, not with my dad."

"You don't sound selfish to me, Princess. You sound like every other kid in the world that wants to protect their parents." Nyx finally perched down next to you on the stone wall of the fountain. "At the end of the day, with the way the world is, your dad is putting a lot on the line to protect not only the people but you as well."  
You nodded your head. "I suppose my family can't escape our duty." Nyx just snorted, making you turn your head to look up at him again."What's so funny?"

"Spoken like a true Princess, sometimes you really do talk like you're older than you are, it's sometimes difficult to remember that you're still young Princess Caelum."

"(Y/N)."

"Hm?"

"My name, my given name... You can use it, if you want." Rubbing the back of your neck, you bit your bottom lip. It felt so intimate for some reason, giving Nyx permission to call you by your proper name instead of a title constantly.

"(Y/N), huh? Suits you, Princess." The way your name just rolled off his tongue made your stomach twist and turn, it felt right, you wanted to hear it more in so many different ways. "Your tiara is askew, may I?"

Glancing back at your reflection in the water, Nyx was right, the tiara pin on the right hand side of your hair was coming out and you hadn't noticed. You nodded softly, granting him the permission he had asked for and watched as he carefully and gently reset the pin in your hair.

"There, just right for Miss Perfect." He brushed his fingertips against the soft locks of your hair as he fixed your tiara. There wasn't any way of you stopping the blush from spreading on your cheeks, Nyx smiling as he rose from the side of the fountain and held out his hand to you. "May I escort you back to your party, Princess? I'm sure your brother is wondering where you are."

"Gladly." You took his hand in yours, him helping you rise to your feet. As you returned to the party with Nyx by your side, you finally noticed that Trixie was gone, Rip and Jack had taken off with her, not bothering to see if they had truly upset you. Shaking your head, you smiled up at Nyx in a thank you then quickly headed back over to your brother, Noctis raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Where did you go?"

"For a breather, come on, the fireworks are about to start!"

Explosions of colour filled the starry skyline, your lips spreading into a smile at the dazzling display in front of you. Your eyes eventually trailed away from the pretty display, gazing across at Nyx, back at his post with his fellow Glaive members, your heart began beating wildly in your chest, stomach fluttering with butterflies once more.

That was the first night that Nyx Ulric invaded your dreams.


	5. Teenage Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A dream about Nyx leads you to have a serious talk with someone you trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while and I've now got a new username on here! Hope you enjoy this chapter~
> 
> Come chat with me on tumblr! - oceansgrxywaves.tumblr.com

“Princess…” Nyx spoke the title so quietly and quickly, backing you up against the wall of your chambers by the door in the citadel. He shouldn’t have been in your room alone with you, it was shameful and against everything that you had been told when you were raised. Though as his lips finally connected with the sensitive skin of your neck, any chance of you attempting to get him to leave before someone caught you went completely out of your mind. Astrals above, his lips were divine upon your neck, so soft and gentle – there was just one thing that you wanted at that point in time, and that was Nyx.

“N-Nyx, please…” You gasped out, hands grasping onto the shoulders of his Kingsglaive jacket. Your head tilted back, allowing him more access to the sensitive skin as he carefully nipped at your collarbone. “P-please don’t tease me…”

He broke away from the contact he was giving you, a low whine escaping your lips. That charming smile, the cheeky sparkle in his eyes at the sight of your flushed cheeks.

“Tell me what you want, baby girl.” He purred into the shell of your ear, placing a kiss at the same time. “Tell me what you need.”

“You! Only you!”

As his hand finally slid down, underneath the thin material of your white blouse that you were wearing, your body shuddering at the contact that you had desired for so long, it felt so utterly right, it felt so real… His lips finally connected with yours, hands slipping up to begin to unbutton your blouse, one button at a time, until finally his hands were on your waist, blouse falling to the floor.

Just as you moved to undo his jacket, a loud knocking on the door made you break the kiss, a whine leaving your lips as Nyx began to pull away from you.  
“Ignore it.” You forced out, Nyx just shook his head at you in disappointment.

“Sorry babe looks like it’s time to wake up.”

“Wake up?”

“What, do you really think this was happening? Sorry, not a chance.” He pressed a kiss against your forehead. “Maybe when you’re older.”

Everything finally became clear as the warmth from Nyx’s body disappeared and was replaced with the artificial warmth of your plush bed sheets and soft mattress, nestled in your hoard of pillows. The knocking on the door was more apparent as your eyes opened, your name being called through the wood of your bedroom door.

Everything that you had just experienced, everything you had thought was real had been a dream… Just like all the others. Every night was the same, the dreams simply connected and each one was getting more risqué with each passing night. Frustration ran through your body, pulling a pillow over your face before burrowing under the covers of your bed.

“Highness, are you awake?” Ignis’s voice came from the other side of the door after you remained in your nest of blankets once again. "Highness, I'm coming in if you don't answer."

"I'm awake, Ignis." You forced yourself to call out, despite the raging uncomfortable feeling in your gut. You rolled over onto your back, staring up at the ceiling of your room as the door opened.

"Ah, I'm glad to see you're finally awake and with us this morning, your brother is already dressed and attending breakfast." Ignis spoke in a firm voice, trying to keep you awake as he headed to your wardrobe and fetched your uniform for the day. "If you wish to join him for breakfast, I would suggest hurrying."

"Thank you Ignis..." You had no motivation to pull yourself from the warm cocoon that was your bed. Even more so after that dream, your body felt hot and bothered, like everything was too much and the only solution to the sudden change would be Nyx. Still, you didn't want Ignis to think you were sick or question anything. "I'll be down in the dining room for breakfast shortly."

"Shall I have something prepared for you, Highness?"

"Just some toast and preserves, please Ignis."

"Of course, it will be ready for when you arrive downstairs."

As the door to your room clicked shut, Ignis finally leaving you alone, you slumped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. You needed to talk with someone about this... You couldn't go to your brother, you definitely couldn't bring it up to Ignis or your father without being brutally embarrassed... And Trixie? That was out of the question, you hardly trusted her with your private affairs... Which left you with one possible option.  
Prompto.

-

Classes seemed to pass by before you could even get a chance to talk to Prompto, it wasn't until near lunch and during one of the optional periods that you managed to finally catch up with him in the grounds of the school. He smiled brightly at you when you approached the bench he was sat at, a small lunch box sat on top of a few text books.

"Hey, (y/n)!"

"Hey Prompto..." You smiled to him, sitting down next to him on the bench when he swept his arm out as an invitation to sit down. "You've got a free period now, right?"

“Sure, is something up?”

“I was… I was wondering if we could talk about something? I… I can’t exactly go to my brother about this…” You sheepishly rubbed the back of your neck, Astrals; this was so embarrassing when you truly thought about what you were planning to do… How were you meant to ask your brothers best friend about you potentially having feelings for someone? Someone that was clearly older than you and someone you’d probably never be able to date due to so many social circles standing between the two of you… Not to mention the fact that Nyx was practically your mentor at this point…

A thoughtful look appeared on Prompto's face while you were deep in thought.

"Alright, get your stuff!" He announced, packing up the lunch box and pulled a hoodie out of his rucksack, passing it to you. "Put this on! We're going to the arcade!"  
"Wait... Now? Prompto... We have classes... We can't skip..."

"Whatever it is, (y/n), it's distracting you. You've spent most of today sighing and staring out the window in class, I don't think you'd even concentrate if you really tried."

Several thoughts crossed your mind - Ignis would lose his shit if he found out that you'd skipped out classes to run off to the arcade with your brothers best friend. Not to mention, Noctis would be jealous... Though if you remembered correctly, Noctis was meant to be on clean up duty after lessons were over...  
Yeah, you could probably get away with sneaking off with Prompto for at least one afternoon.

"Okay." You smiled to Prompto, watching as he pulled off his tie and stuffed it into his bag, his blazer following suit so he didn't look like a high school student.

"Give me your blazer, put the hoodie on instead." He tilted his head at you, watching as you did as he instructed then stared as he messed your hair up a bit then pulled the hood up. "Let's keep our fingers crossed that this is enough to make it so you aren't noticed, we’ll go to the arcade, let you relax and then we’ll grab some food and talk after."

“Being the Princess does mean I’m more recognizable.” You grinned, nodding your head at his suggestion as the two of you made your way off the grounds of the school, heading towards the bright and luminous arcade in the center of Insomnia, it being mainly deserted in the middle of the school day – even if the clerk behind the counter ended up giving both you and Prompto funny looks at the fact you probably should have been in school, but still said nothing to the two of you.

If there was one thing that Prompto was good at, it was shooter games. Especially House of the Dead, as every little pixel zombie popped up, Prompto managed to shoot them faster than you, getting an even higher score than the last time he played, it seemed that the whole leader board on the game cabinet was him, ‘PROM’ followed by increasing scores.

“How the hell are you so good at this?” You complained, knocking Prompto’s shoulder as the game finally ended. Prompto just laughed as he entered his name once again on the cabinet and placed the plastic gun back down in the slot where it stayed. The hood that was covering your face had since fallen down in the excitement of the game, you dragging Prompto over a dance machine – a low groan left his lips as you put money in to the machine for the both of you and selected the two player option. “Come on, it’s my pick this time!”

Selecting the track, the two of you began to dance in time with the arrows that popped up on the screen, Prompto holding onto the bar behind him to steady himself while you were completely fine without it. Prompto just whined as he dropped moves, a comment leaving his mouth.

“I prefer House of the Dead to this!”

“Not surprising, Prompto~ You clearly don’t have the grace for this!”

“I think you’ll find I do have grace, just not with dance machines!”

You stuck your tongue out at him when you won the next few rounds, heading out the arcade shortly after to a part of Insomnia where street food was lined up far and beyond, assaulting your senses in one of the best possible ways. In the end, you and Prompto picked some chicken skewers and cans of soda, heading over to a nearby picnic table to chow down on your purchases.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Prompto finally brought it up as you nibbled on the skewer in front of you. Everything froze as you looked up at him, your eyes widening until you realized that he was waiting for you to answer him. You had to talk to him about it; you couldn’t talk to your brother about it, let alone your dad or Ignis… And Trixie? You didn’t know her well enough to even justify trying to tell her.

"I think... I think I have feelings for someone." You finally admitted, poking your plate as Prompto took a sip from his can of soda. "It's just... So confusing..."

"Oooh~ Is it anyone I know?" Prompto couldn't help but grin at you, nudging your shoulder. "Is it someone from our class?"

"N-not exactly... They're older than me..." You sighed, shaking your head and fiddled with the cuff of the black hoodie. "They're a lot older than me."

"Wait... Is it someone that works with your dad?”

“Not that old!” You snapped back, Prompto laughing loudly at his little comment. You scowled at your friend before shaking your head. “He’s a bit older than me, he’s… He’s a member of the Kingsglaive.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. He’s… He’s the one teaching me to warp strike as well.” You sheepishly rubbed the back of your neck, shaking your head and whined as Prompto grinned at you. “Prompto, don’t look at me like that…”

“Tell me about him, need to know who I’m going to be helping your brother fight when he finds out!”

“Really?” A frown grew on your lips; Prompto nudged your shoulder with a sly smile. “I know Noct is going to be protective but I think Nyx could knock both of you on your asses!”

“Oooh, so his name is Nyx? Better start taking notes so we can take down a member of the Glaive!” Laughter finally erupted between the two of you, no longer being able to take each other seriously. Prompto wasn’t wrong – Noctis would be very protective if he knew that you had a thing for someone, he took his role as your older brother very seriously, even if he was only three minutes older than you.

“Look… Nyx is so… I don’t even know how to describe him like he’s so handsome… Like a real life superhero, he’s going out and fighting for us all and… He’s teaching me how to defend myself, how to warp strike… I get all these weird feelings in my stomach and chest whenever he smiles at me… Prompto, I’ve even dreamt about kissing him.”

“Sounds like you’ve got it bad for your Glaive hero.” He simply commented, smiling at you rather sweetly. “Shame he’s older than you, ‘cause it really sounds like you’re developing real feelings for him.” You knew what he was getting at with the ‘shame he’s older than you’ comment, you weren’t able to do anything – you couldn’t act on your feelings for Nyx, not at all, despite how much you wanted to know how he’d treat you – would he be a gentle boyfriend? Would he kiss you slowly and softly? You shook your head, answering Prompto.

“I can’t do anything, I know I can’t… It’s wrong to put him in that situation… Not to mention the social differences, he’s from Galahd. You know what some people are like about those that have come in from outside the wall… It’d never be accepted…”

“He could stand to lose a lot if you tried anything.” The situation became a lot more serious as Prompto spoke to you, Nyx could lose everything if you did tell him how you felt, if you acted on how you felt. “You can still have a thing for him, there’s nothing stopping you from having feelings for him. You just have to remember that you have to put Nyx first.”

“I know and I will. I don’t want to end up hurting him by being a stupid kid.” You lowered your eyes to the table then let out a shaky laugh, forcing a grin to Prompto.  
“Since when did you get serious?”

“I have my moments, (y/n).” Prompto nudged your shoulder, picking up the rubbish from the table and took it over to the bin. “C’mon, I’ll walk you back to the Citadel.”

The two of you made your way back, laughing and giggling over stupid things that had happened at school. Not to mention Prompto teasing you over your affection for Nyx, once outside – rather as close as he was allowed to go because of the guards, you turned around to him.

"Thanks for this… I had a lot of fun, Prompto." You grinned up at him as he slid his black hoodie back over your shoulders to keep you warmer. He gave you a sweet smile back then winked at you.

"Anything to help the best Princess in the world." He mockily bowed in front of you. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me, Princess (y/n)."

"Anymore talk like that and I'll snatch you up for my Crownsguard, never mind my brothers!" You couldn't help but giggle as you headed towards the Citadel. "I'll message you later!"

"If Ignis hasn't scorched you for skipping with me! See you around, (y/n)!"

-

"No, try again."

A whine of frustration came from your lips as you threw yet another dagger to get the right aim for warping. Nyx stood to the side and leaned against the wall, arms folded over his chest as he watched, voice curt and short with you. As you threw yet another dagger, Nyx shook his head.

"Stop, this isn't working, Princess."

"You don't think I know that?" You snapped back at him, turning your head away in defiance.

_You've got it bad for him~_

Prompto's comment from the day out with him had remained in your mind, he was right, whatever your feelings were for Nyx, you'd got it bad for the Kingsglaive member.

"Your posture is completely off, I thought you picked up things quicker than this." He sighed, making his way over to you. "Don't be bitter about it, just get better. Here, let me help."

His hand slid on your waist, your breath hitching ever so slightly as he adjusted your posture and stance. His head next to you, warm breath catching your ear. You were deadly aware of his natural body heat behind you, the way his hands were still resting on your waist until one reached up, adjusting your hand.

"You've got this, just let your body flow with the magic. Let it run through you."

"Y-yeah..." You mumbled out, trying to not show how red your cheeks were becoming. Astrals, how was anyone meant to concentrate around Nyx? He was just walking temptation, a gift from the Astrals. It would just be so easy for you to turn around, drop the dagger and kiss him like he'd done to you in the dream...

"Focus, Princess." As he let go, you threw the dagger at the wall. Within a bright dust of light, you found yourself forward, hitting the wall with a yelp of pain. "Nice work!" The sudden praise made you look up, there was that bright smile on his lips but it... It looked so sincere, so proud. "Keep trying and you'll improve your finesse, for your first try, you did well."

As he made his way over to you and helped you up from the floor of the training room, everything finally began to make sense. From the way his eyes seemed to pierce through you but still remain so kind and gentle, the way his lips quirked upwards ever so slight at the edges when he saw you enter the room. The way his hands felt so right when they were laced with yours. The way his voice seemed to just purr your name, like it was written to just be spoken by him.

You were completely and utterly developing feelings for Nyx Ulric and you knew that you couldn’t do a thing.


End file.
